An unexpected success.
Etymology:
- Originally an allusion to an unknown horse with a dark coat winning a race, as used in the 1831 novel The Young Duke by Benjamin Disraeli : “ and a dark horse, which had never been thought of, rushed past the grand stand in sweeping triumph.”
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Submitted on September 01, 2009
Additional definitions for 'dark horse':
| dark horse | A candidate who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice. |
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Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to dark horse
ain't no hill for a stepping horseget back on the horse that bucked onedon't look a gift horse in the mouthbeat a dead horseall cats are gray in the darkeat like a horseand the horse you rode in onget back on the horse that bucked youflog a dead horseevery dark cloud has a silver liningflog a dead horseall cats are grey in the darkDon't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouthdon't put your cart before the hor…
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"dark horse." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/dark-horse_3148>.
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